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Spinners help Sri Lanka stun South Africa in T20 WC opener

Published

4 years ago

2023/02/11

Chamari Athapaththu’s half-century and an excellent performance with the ball set up Sri Lanka’s thrilling three-run victory in the T20 WC opener against South Africa in Cape Town on Friday (February 10). Despite a slow first half, Sri Lanka managed to post 129 for 4 thanks to Athapaththu’s 50-ball 68 – which included 12 boundaries – and her 89-run association for the second wicket with Vishmi Gunaratne (35 off 34). The bowlers then got into the act as Inoka Ranaweera (3-18), Oshadi Ranasinghe (2-20) and Sugandika Kumari (2-28) delivered regular strikes, with the latter defending 12 in the final over to help Sri Lanka stun South Africa.

The South African openers got off to a steady start, scoring three boundaries between them in the first four overs. But the partnership came to an end in the fifth as Ranasinghe had Tazmin Brits slicing a catch to cover to dismiss her for 12 in her first over, and also gave away only two runs. Marizanne Kapp struck a boundary off Sugandika in the final over of the powerplay as South Africa got 38 in the first six overs. Kapp, however, fell in the eighth over attempting to hit Ranaweera over mid on and the bowler also bagged the wicket of Laura Wolvaardt to leave South Africa in a spot of bother at 53/3 in the 10th over.

South Africa found themselves in further trouble as Sugandika had Chloe Tryon caught at long on and Anneke Bosch bowled off an inside edge as they slipped to 72/5 in the 13th over. The required rate rose over 10 when the 16th over was completed, with skipper Sune Luus being the key for the hosts who found themselves under a lot of pressure. Luus struck a six off Ranasinghe but Nadine de Klerk fell in the same over, leaving South Africa with 33 to get off the last three overs.

A couple of boundaries for Sinalo Jafta off Kavisha Dilhari brought the equation to 20 off 12 deliveries. Sri Lanka missed a run-out opportunity in the penultimate over but Ranaweera got the big wicket of Luus, having the South African captain stumped for 28. Shabnim Ismail struck her first ball for a four but Jafta was run out soon after. Needing 13 to win off the last over, Ismail managed a couple off the first ball bowled by Sugandika but was run out the next ball attempting a couple. Sugandika, the experienced left-arm spinner, delivered an excellent over under pressure, giving away nine to deliver a winning start to Sri Lanka’s campaign.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Athapaththu had an early reprieve as ‘keeper Sinalo Jafta put down a catch while driving across to an edge created by Ismail. Meanwhile, both the Sri Lankan openers did not find scoring easy, with Ismail even bowling a maiden to Harshitha Madavi. The boundary drought ended in the fourth over as Athapaththu slammed a cover drive off Kapp and also struck two successive boundaries off Nonkululeko Mlaba while Madavi played a scoop shot off Ayabonga Khaka for a four. But Sri Lanka could get only 28 in the powerplay and they also lost their first wicket soon after as de Klerk had Madavi caught at short mid-wicket.

The next batter, Gunaratne, also took some time to get going while Athapaththu had to shoulder the responsibility of getting the bulk of the runs. The Lankan skipper struck two fours off de Klerk but Sri Lanka managed only 45 in the first 10 overs, struggling to find any momentum. Athapaththu provided the much-needed impetus with three fours in a row off de Klerk in the 11th over, driving a couple through cover before pulling one over mid-wicket. Gunaratne played a paddle shot off Mlaba for her first four and followed it up with three fours in succession off Ismail to bring up the half-century stand off 36 balls.

Athapaththu got to a 42-ball fifty and then struck another hat-trick of boundaries off de Klerk as Sri Lanka went past 100 in the 16th over. The second wicket stand came to an end when a direct hit from Brits caught Gunaratne short of the crease. In the same over, Kapp got the wicket of Athapaththu thanks to a fine catch from de Klerk in the deep. The wicket of the set batters and tight bowling from South Africa meant that Sri Lanka could only manage 15 in the last three overs to finish with a sub-par total.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 129/5 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 68, Vishmi Gunaratne 35; Marizanne Kapp 1-15) beat South Africa 126/9 in 20 overs (Sune Luus 28; Inoka Ranaweera 3-18, Oshadi Ranasinghe 2-20) by 3 runs.

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Bangladesh and Nepal to host Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup from January 21 to February 6

Published

21 mins ago

2026/10/21

Priyan

Defending champions India won the first two editions of the tournament, in 2023 and 2025 (Cricinfo)

Four venues in Bangladesh and Nepal will host the 2027 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is set to run from January 21 to February 6. Chattogram, Sylhet, Kirtipur and Mulpani are the four venues, with Chattogram set to host the two semi-finals on February 4 as well as the final on February 6.

The 16-team event will feature four groups of four teams each, with the group stage set to be followed by a two-group Super Six stage, and then the semi-finals and final.

This is the third edition of the tournament, with India having won the first two back-to-back in 2023 and 2025. The defending champions have been drawn in group A alongside Ireland, West Indies and Nepal. Group B has 2025 runners-up South Africa as well as New Zealand, Pakistan and Samoa.

Australia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and UAE make up Group C, while England, Sri Lanka, USA and Scotland have been drawn in Group D.

The tournament will kick off with four matches on January 21, with Sylhet hosting Bangladesh vs UAE and Australia vs Nigeria, and Mulpani hosting Sri Lanka vs Scotland and England vs USA. The other two venues and other eight teams will be involved on January 22: New Zealand vs Samoa and South Africa vs Pakistan in Chattogram, and Nepal vs Ireland and India vs West Indies in Kirtipur.

All 41 games of the tournament will be played during the day. Morning matches will begin at 9.30am local time, and afternoon games at 1.30pm local time.

“The ICC U19 World Cup is the stage that showcases the future of our sport and serves as the ultimate platform for young players to make the leap towards elite careers representing their countries,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said. “These future stars representing 16 teams will garner the world’s attention and become relatable role models for many young girls playing the sport, serving inspiration for their continued cricket journeys.

“The choice of our hosts – Bangladesh and Nepal – is also reflective of the ICC’s belief and investment in the future of the cricket ecosystem. With deep passion for cricket and nearly 40% of the two countries’ populations below the age of 20, they serve as the ideal hosts for one of the world’s biggest youth sporting events.”

(Cricinfo)

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President pays last respects to Most Venerable Kappetiyagoda Siri Wimala Thera

Published

23 hours ago

2026/10/20

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (20) paid his last respects to the remains of Most Venerable Kappetiyagoda Siri Wimala Thera, Anunayake of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya and Chief Incumbent of the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, who passed away.

The President visited the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, where the remains of the Thera are lying, and paid his last respects. He subsequently expressed his deepest condolences to the Maha Sangha and the temple’s Dayaka Sabha, who are mourning the passing of the Thera.

Central Province Governor and Consultant Physician Dr Harsha Suranga Fernando, Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatta and several others were present.

President’s Media Division (PMD)

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Shafali receives demerit point for breaching Level 1 of ICC code of conduct

Published

24 hours ago

2026/10/20

Priyan

File photo: It was Shafali's first offence in a 24-month period (Cricinfo)

India opener Shafali Verma has received an official reprimand and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday.

Shafali, an ICC release said, breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”

It was Shafali’s first offence in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Shafali threw the ball into the ground in frustration after dropping a chance at mid-off offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani.

Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee GS Lakshmi, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

India currently lead the three-match series 2-0 with the third game to be played on Tuesday evening. The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.

(Cricinfo)